Listen On
by calmingmychaos
Summary: This story picks up after Owen's punishment from his show has ended. Follow Annabel and Owen through their lives together.
1. Chapter 1

_The characters in this story are based on the works of Sarah Dessen. They are not of my creation. They are based off of the novel Just Listen. The first chapter is on the shorter side. I hope to make them a little longer for you, but this is more of a test to see if people like what I'm writing. I've started on the second chapter already, so if people like it I'll continue uploading. Let me know what you think._

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Chapter 1

I sat on the trunk of my car leaning on my knees, while staring down the road. It was Owen's first day back at the station since his grounding and needless to say we were both excited, but I was the only one on time. I couldn't believe he was late - today of all days. As I looked down at my phone one last time, I heard his truck coming down the road and I couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. I had enjoyed helping him out these past few weeks and while it was fun, but it was time to hand the reigns back to him.

As he pulled in next to me, I tapped the bare spot on my wrist signing to him how late he was. He wasn't even out of the car yet and he was saying, "I know. I know. My mom wanted to make sure I knew how this radio show was a privilege - not a right and yada yada yada," he ran on while he grabbed a folder and his iPod then slammed the door on his truck. I couldn't help but smile when he turned to face me, let out a big sigh, kissed my forehead, and said, "Hi. I'm sorry I'm late. Let's do this!"

He grabbed my hand and we walked towards the building. Once inside the booth, Rolly knocked on the glass then came over the speaker, "Talk about cutting it close Armstrong, I almost had to put Annabel on by herself again." Owen and I had discussed that I co-host his first show with him before I was done altogether, to _"transition from Jenny Reef fans back to the enlightened as smoothly as possible."_

"She would have done fine," Owen sighed then continued, "but you're more than welcome to go talk to my mother and tell her how she can unground me a little quicker next time."

Rolly sucked air through his teeth, "Yeah, I've had my fill of mothers this week. I met this one's mom last night and she was not a fan." He was pointing his thumb at Clarke, who was sitting on a stool next to him.

She smiled, pushing his shoulder softly, "She didn't _hate_ you."

"Well she didn't like me either."

"Yes, but we can work on that. There really is nowhere to go from hatred. Discontent we can work with." Rolly grabbed her hand and kissed it before sitting back down next to her then mouthed 'hurry up' to Owen.

I helped move some things around, but I knew not to get in his way when he was on a mission. He laid out his paper with the list of songs for the show, the list that was discussed and argued, at length, the night before. "No way, Owen. No techno."

"Oh come on Annabel, they haven't had anything this good in weeks!"

"And they will last one more. Now take it off there. I let you have eight whole minutes of tribal chants, they can live without techno."

"Then I'm pulling the Jenny Reef. I'm drawing the line Greene." He highlighted the section with Mallory's request and was about to push the delete button.

"Don't you do it. That was Mallory's one request."

Owen smiled and pressed the button anyway. "Oops!" I opened my mouth is disbelief. He laughed, "Oh come on, she isn't even going to know. You think she actually gets up at 7 am on a Sunday just to hear the song you said you'd play for her, because I happen to know, for a fact, that she isn't. I asked her every week if she wanted to listen in with me, but she just went back to sleep. I'll show you the drool stains on her pillow to prove it."

"But every week. She requested it every week, and thanked me for playing it for her," he sat smiling at me, then shrugged his shoulders turning back to his computer. "I got played. I got played by a-"

"Jenny Reef fan. Ouch." Without looking he reached back, rubbing my knee, "don't feel too bad. I fell for it once upon a time too. Never for that sell out, I mean, I have my limits, but I've definitely played songs I'd never have played all in the name of being a good brother, and come to find out she never got up once to listen."

With a sigh, I lay my head on his shoulder as he added the last song, Bohemian Rhapsody, before printing it out. "I'll put them on my playlist later, as for now, I believe we only have one hour before you have to get home for another Whitney dinner," he spun around in his chair, pulling me from mine into his lap. "I don't want to spend the entire time arguing with you about music. I love music and arguing with you, but there is one thing that I miss even more." With that, he kissed me.

I put my arms around his neck, pulling myself into him. His lips fit perfectly into mine, his hands warm on my cold back. He slid one hand under my knees and stood up, carrying me over to his bed. He stopped kissing me and lay me down on the bed before crawling in next to me. He pulled me close to him and I put my head on his shoulder, his arm holding me close. I took a deep breath, taking in his scent. He kissed the top of my head then laid his on mine hugging me tighter. Smiling, I closed my eyes.

"Okay, I hope you two are ready, because we're on in 30 seconds," Rolly's voice came from the speaker overhead."

Owen looked up, giving Rolly a thumb's up, then pulled out a chair for me followed by a chair for himself. I handed him his headphones and placed my own on. I took a deep breath, pulling my microphone closer to me. Rolly's voice came back, "Five. Four - " I looked up to see his fingers, three, two, then one. He pointed at me, and the rush came back.

"Good morning everyone. Thank you for tuning into WRUS, it's Annabel, and I'm back again with Story of My - "

"Anger Management." Owen interrupted with a smile. "That's right folks, Owen Armstrong here, and I'm back. Annabel's going to be helping me out this week. First up, Back in Black, by ACDC, and stay with us," he squeezed my hand and smiled at me, "because Annabel and I aren't going anywhere."


	2. Chapter 2

_The characters in this story are not of my own creation. They are from the book Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. Let me know what you think._

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Chapter 2

After pulling in my driveway, I shut off the engine and sat there rubbing my stomach, somewhat grossed out and somewhat impressed at how much bacon I had just consumed at breakfast. The show went better than I had imagined it would. It was so great seeing Owen in his natural habitat.

I could see my mother in the kitchen with her coffee cup in one hand, and Whitney gliding down the stairs. She took her usual trip to her planters, which were thriving despite the cold weather we'd had, and turned on her heel to the kitchen. My mother looked up when she saw Whitney coming, smiling and touching her arm when she walked by.

I pulled the keys from the ignition and got out of the car. As I bent over to grab my father's paper for him, I felt my stomach churn. _Yep, too much bacon._

When I walked through the door my mother looked over at me, "Good morning Annabel, how was the show?" She smiled and took a sip of her coffee. Since the trial, my mother had taken a genuine interest in what was going on in my life. My whole family had, really, but my mother more than anyone. I think it really messed her up realizing I was walking around with this terrible thing hanging over my head and she didn't even notice. At first, it was almost annoying getting all of her attention, but now I had to admit, I liked having my mother dote on me, and she seemed really happy that everyone was doing so well.

"It went really well. So much better than I thought." I leaned on the chair opposite my mom.  
"That's wonderful. I'm glad," she paused pointing at Whitney in the kitchen, "Are you hungry? Whitney was just about to cook us up some eggs and bacon."

Whitney looked over and nodded, but my stomach did a back flip. "Oh, please, no! Thank you, but I had too much bacon at the restaurant. There's a good chance it won't stay down if I smell it. I actually think I'm going to go lay down for a bit, maybe take a nap." I pushed myself off the chair, walked over and kissed my mom on the forehead.

"Okay, Sweetheart, see you in a bit." I tossed my dad's paper on the table and walked towards the stairs. I was about halfway up when I heard my dad start coming down.

"Where you going? You know Whitney's cooking up some breakfast right?"

"Yeah, but I already ate, so I'm going to go lay down for a bit."

"Suit yourself, more for me," he said rubbing his stomach with a smirk and turned trotting down the rest of the stairs.

When I walked into my bedroom I closed my door, kicked off my shoes, turned my radio on, and plopped onto my bed. I couldn't have been laying there for long when I dozed off.

A knock on my door, then, "Annabel? Are you in here?" The voice was so familiar. "Annabel? I need to talk to you." I could hear the door open, and a rush of fear overcame me when I realized whose voice I was hearing - Will Cash.

What time was it? How long had I fallen asleep? Why was my room so dark? Where was everyone? I felt for my bedside table and slipped out of my bed and then under it.

I heard the door open and the sliver of light spread across the floor. My heart was racing. I couldn't breathe. "Annabel, what's wrong? I'm right here. It's okay." Suddenly the bed skirt came up and his face was right there. I threw my fist at his face and as soon as it connected I jerked awake.

I was still breathing heavily. I couldn't catch my breath and my knuckles hurt. "Damn it, Annabel. What the hell?" Whitney was holding her hands over her nose.

"Oh my God, Whitney! I'm so sorry." I tried to unravel the sheets that were tangled around my legs, but I was just making it worse. "There are tissues on my desk. Is it bleeding?" Still struggling with the sheets, I started kicking until I was free.

"Christ Annabel. You've got a hell of a right hook. What was that for?"

"I guess it was a nightmare, it seemed so real. I'm so sorry."

"I was going to my room and you sounded like you were crying, so I came in. I was trying to comfort you and you punched me in the fucking nose."

There was a little blood, but all and all it wasn't too bad. I ran to the kitchen and got ice before meeting her in her room. She was leaning over her vanity examining her nose. "Is it bad?"

"Nah, it's not too bad. It'll probably be bruised tomorrow, but for now I think ice will do." I handed her the towel with the ice in it. She winced as she put it to her nose. "Thanks. What was the nightmare? Normally I wouldn't pry, but since I came out on the wrong end of that one, I feel I have a right."

I stared at my feet. "Was it Will?" I nodded. "I know you don't think rationally in dreams, but he's in jail. He's not going to hurt you again."

"I know. I'm stupid. It just seemed so real. I wasn't thinking."

"Who could?" I was surprised, so I looked up at her quizzically. "Someone who went through a trauma like you did would be scarred for life, but you went through a trauma and felt like you had no one you could talk to about it so you just relived it over and over for months. Not just that, you dealt with my drama, and mom's pressuring you to keep modeling. You're a rock, Annabel."

She reached over and grabbed my hands. I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. "I think I've said it before already, but just so it gets through to you. I know I can come off as uncaring, sometimes even cold, but I'm still your big sister, and I will always be here for you. You know that right?" I nodded silently. She stood and hugged me. Not even ten minutes ago, I was physically inflicting pain on her, and here she is comforting me. Whitney had changed so much these past few months, and I was beyond happy for it. I finally felt like I had a sister I could lean on.

I sat on the wall at lunch waiting for Owen, examining the small red marks on my knuckles. Funny, I'd only hit her once, but with my skin tone, the red really stood out. "What happened to you Rocky? You punch someone?"

"Yeah, Whitney," he chuckled. I looked at him with a straight face. "Right in the nose." I then closed my fist and one eye, and pretended to throw a punch. ** _POW!_**

"What happened?"

"She got a little mouthy. I think I made my point though."

"Annabel, take it from me, that's not how you want to deal with things. It seems right in the moment, but the aftermath isn't worth it." He shook his head and looked at me with so much disappointment, I almost felt bad about leading him on.

"I'm kidding, Owen. I mean, I did hit her, but only because she woke me up during a nightmare. I was defending myself," I said matter of factly.

His tone changed dramatically, "Was it another Will nightmare?"

"Yeah, but I had a nice talk with Whit after it. I'm okay," I grabbed his hand, he looked at me, "Really. I'm fine."

He pulled my hand up to his mouth and kissed it, "I know you're fine. I just want to break him in half. I hate him for what he did to you. Hate him."

"I know, but we have to move on with our lives. I have you, and he has his cell mate - Bubba." Owen laughed before grabbing his half of my sandwich.

I looked up to see Clarke walking to the parking lot. She saw me too and we exchanged waves. "Wonder where she's off to."

"Probably going to pick up Rolly. He text me about half an hour ago asking if I could take him home. Something about his pants and needing to change, but I have a history test that I can't miss, so he probably called her."

"Aww, how cute," Owen looked at me, "I mean, I've known Clarke forever, granted we hadn't talked in years, but Rolly is just not the guy I pictured her with."

"She'd probably say the same about you thought, you know?"

"Why so? You're great. Loyal, handsome, protective, and honest to a fault. Why wouldn't someone see us together?"

He brushed my hair from my face, "Flattery will get you nowhere with me. I'm a giant, I could snap you in two if I sneezed at you. You're telling me she'd see you with me?"

"I don't know. I honestly have a hard time judging how people see me. I mean, when I was friends with Sophie, I'm sure I know how they saw me. Cold hearted bitch just like Sophie - or Passive minion who doesn't speak up because she's afraid of being lashed by the boss. Now though, I don't know. I don't feel like the same person." Owen nodded agreeing with me. "You know, I never did ask, but what was your first impression of me?"

He thought for a moment, popped a chip into his mouth, washed it down with his water, and then said, "Well, when I first saw you, I wondered where Sophie was. I didn't really know either of you, but I don't know that I saw one of you without the other before that day. I know I thought you looked sad. Usually when someone looks sad, I think they're sad - better leave them alone. With you, it was different. I wanted to know why you were sad. I wanted to make you feel better. I felt a need to protect you."

I didn't say anything, partly because I didn't know what to say, but mostly because I wanted to hear more. "When you threw up after seeing Will, I went inside to grab you napkins, but when I came out, you were gone. I figured you were embarrassed. I saw a sad girl, who didn't seem like she knew who she was. I wanted to help you figure it out."

I felt a tear roll down my face. I was smiling. I knew Owen was sweet, but I'd never known how he felt right from the start. I grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled him to me, kissing him. When he pulled away, I said, "I love you, Owen Armstrong."  
"I loved you first Greene." I nudged him with my elbow, laid my head on his shoulder and we finished our lunch silently.

* * *

When I got home from school, the house was empty. I dropped my backpack at the stairs and walked into the kitchen. There was a note from Whitney:

Got a job interview with a catering company.  
Probably won't be home for dinner.  
Feel free to use whatever stuff of mine that's in  
the fridge if you decide to cook.  
WISH me luck!

When I turned I saw a message was on the answering machine, I pushed play. "Whitney, Annabel, its Mom. I have to work late tonight, we just can't seem to agree on the girls for the spring show. I'm sure Whitney's already got something going for dinner, but if not, there is some money I left on the fridge. Feel free to order some pizza. I love you girls. I'll see you later.

So, Dad was gone for a work thing, Mom was going to be late, and Whitney wasn't going to be home either. I was all alone. Normally I'd like this, but lately I had been so used to constantly being around someone my house felt huge. It was so quiet. I decided I was going to make dinner myself. I put my iPod on my mom's dock in the kitchen and played the playlist that Owen had uploaded for me. I didn't hate it. No techno, some 80's rock, a little country, some of what he referred to as Rockabilly, and one chant, because he knew I would "get it" one of these days.

I pulled out some chicken and began to season it while the oven preheated. Once the chicken was prepped, I went to the fridge and pulled some things out for a salad, a tomato, a cucumber, a pepper, dressing, and a bag of spinach. I hummed along to the song that was playing while I rinsed the vegetables in the sink, when I heard the oven beep. "Alright chicken, time for you to get to baking, I'm getting hungry. I don't know why I am talking to you, you're dead, but I'm all alone so it's okay."

I couldn't help but laugh at myself. I had been giddy all day since I told Owen I loved him. I didn't even mean to say it, but it came out, and he said it back. I'd wanted to say it for weeks now, but I was so scared, and it ended up being so easy.

I felt myself dancing to the music, my heart doing the same in my chest. Just thinking about Owen made me so happy. I turned to get my phone out of my backpack to call him, and when I started walking through the hall to my bag, my heart jumped into my throat - there was someone on my porch. The sun was setting already and it glared through the front of the house so bright, I couldn't make out who it was, just that someone was there.

I could tell their back was turned, so I grabbed my bag and ran back into the kitchen. "Why did they buy the glass house?" I said, now hiding behind the kitchen island. No way they didn't see me already. I pulled out my phone and text Owen.

ARE YOU AT WORK?

Three dots. He was replying already. Thank God!

YEAH. JUST GOT BACK IN THE TRUCK. WHAT'S UP?

THERE IS SOMEONE ON MY PORCH. I'M ALL ALONE. I CAN'T TELL WHO IT IS. I'M SCARED!

WHERE ARE YOU?

IN THE KITCHEN HIDING. FUCKING GLASS HOUSE! I'M SURE THEY ALREADY SAW ME.

I'M RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. STAY THERE.

The music was loud and then it cut out completely. I jumped and looked up to see Owen standing over me. "Oh thank God. Are they still there? Who is it?" I was peeking around him.

He looked a little worried when he said, "Well I told her to stay outside, because I wasn't sure if you'd want to talk to her."

"Who? Why didn't they ring the bell?"

I heard the front door open, and Owen darted for the door. "I told you to wait outside. I don't know if she wants to see you. I couldn't blame her if she didn't."

A sob, "I couldn't blame her either, but I needed to talk to her. She needs to know how sorry I am."

"Sophie?!"


	3. Chapter 3

_The characters in this story are based on the works of Sarah Dessen. They are not of my creation. They are based off of the novel Just Listen. Please let me know what you think._

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Chapter 3

I suddenly flashed back to that summer day after the pool when Clarke and I delivered Sophie's things to her. So much about her now looked similar. Same puffy eyes, same ragged expression, even the same disposition. The only thing different about her is she almost looked scared to see me. That or she was afraid of Owen.

"I really think you should go," Owen said as he put his hands on her shoulders.

Sophie sobbed, "I know. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry I came," she looked up at me, "I'm so sorry I scared you Annabel."

My heart was still pounding in my chest. I said nothing to her.

"Time to go Sophie. I'll walk you out." She dropped her head and turned towards the door, Owen just a beat behind her.

"Sophie wait!" I don't know what came over me. I didn't want to talk to her. I couldn't even stand to look at her, but I didn't want her to leave. I needed to hear what she had to say.

Owen turned before she did, "Annabel. You don't have to do this. Not if you're not ready."

Sophie was looking at me. Visibly shaking. "Just tell me why."

"Why? Why wha-"

"Why did you believe him?"

She said nothing. We just stared at one another, the foyer filling with tension. I saw Owen shift between us. "Come on Sophie. Did you even take a second to consider how scared I looked? How uncomfortable I always was around him?" I couldn't believe my restraint. So many times I had pictured me really tearing into her, but here I was keeping my cool.

"I don't know Annabel, it all happened so fast. I have replayed that night over and over in my mind a thousand times. I remember walking into the room, and seeing him standing there. I remember seeing you sitting on the ground. I did notice you looked scared, but I thought it was because I caught you guys." I could see Owen's entire body tighten as she spoke. Sophie must have too, because she paused. I walked over and grabbed his hand with one hand and rubbed his arm with my other, nodding for her to continue. "After everything happened with the arrest and all the other accusations coming out, I really thought it over. I wanted to come over and tell you that I realized you were terrified because of what he did."

She dropped her head. I thought she was trying to think of what to say next, when I realized she was crying. "I wanted to come to you right away. I wanted to beg you to forgive me. I am sure you never will, but I needed you to know how sorry I was. How sorry I am," she sniffled, and pulled a tissue out of her pocket. "I ruined everything between us. You were my only real friend. You stood by me through everything, and I pushed you away when you really needed me. I'm so sorry."  
My chin was quivering. She was right. What we had before, we could never have again. Even if one day I decided to forgive her. We would never be friends like we once were. "I appreciate you coming here Sophie, I do, really, but you need to go."

"I understand. I'll go. If you ever want to talk, or think of anything else to ask me, you know where to find me." She turned and walked out the door. With the sun almost completely set now, I could see her walking away. She turned and looked back at me one last time before turning down the road towards her house.  
Owen shut the door, and pulled out his phone. "What are you doing?" I asked, watching him working at his phone.

"I'm texting my boss. Telling him there was an emergency, I won't be coming back. I'm not going to leave you alone. Not after all that."

I put one hand over his phone, pushing it down, and lifted his chin with my other. "I love you." I kissed him. "But you need to go back to work. I'll be fine. Honestly, that was so much better than I had imagined it."

He just stared at me. "Owen, really. I've got chicken that's going to be burning any minute, a salad I haven't even started yet. I've got plenty to keep me occupied until someone gets home. Come back after work if you want. I can save you some chicken."

"Two."

"Two what?"

"Save me two."

A smile spread across my face. The boy could eat. "Okay, two. What time do you work till?"

"Seven. I'll be back right after." I nodded. He kissed the top of my head and turned back for the door. "I love you too by the way."

* * *

The chicken wasn't half bad. Not as good as Whitney's as she pointed out. She had gotten home about twenty minutes after Owen and Sophie had left. When I filled her in about everything that had happened, she looked much less surprised than I had felt.  
"You know, you don't really seem so surprised by this."

"Well, I figured it would happen eventually. Sophie is a terrible person, but she always seemed to have a soft spot for you. I think Kirsten instilled a deep fear in her to never mess with you."

We laughed together. That was the second time today I had thought about that summer day that seemed so long ago. "How did Owen take it?"

"Not too bad. I had to tell him to go back to work, but he's coming back after he gets off work."

"Well you stink, you should go jump in the shower before he gets here. I'll clean up dinner."

"Thanks Whit," I said as I tossed a dish towel at her.

The doorbell rang just after 7:30 so I came down the stairs to answer it. When I opened it I said, "It's about time you," and I was face to face with an incredibly handsome man. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I thought you were my boyfriend."

Even in the dark I could see him blush, and wondered if he would see me do the same. "Is Whitney here?"

"Yes, she is, come on in. I'll go get her." I backed away smiling, "Can I ask your name so I can tell her who's here?"

"Wes."

I nodded, ran up the stairs, and pushed to door to Whitney's room open. She was sitting on her bed writing in her journal when she slowly looked up at me, pulling the earphones from her ears, "Hey. Forget how to knock? And what's with the creepy smile?"

"The best looking guy I have ever seen is here for you."

"What are you talking about?" She sat up on her bed looking puzzled.

"There is a guy here, said his name is Wes, and he is gorgeous."

"I don't know a Wes, Annabel."

"Well you're going to want to, come on."

We walked back to the door together, and I could hear two people talking. As I came down the stairs Owen came into view and over his shoulder, Wes. "Wow," Whitney said, "you weren't kidding."

"I know," I whispered back.

"There you are," Owen said in a happy tone. I smiled at him and pulled him toward the kitchen with me.

Wes looked at Whitney and smiled. "Hi, my name is Wes. You had an interview with my aunt today for her catering company." Crap! I had so much going on, I completely forgot to ask her how it went. "I'm sorry she didn't hire you. She won't admit she needs the help."

"For what it's worth," Wes continued, "she hasn't stopped talking about your frittata since you left. She really like it."

"Oh, thank you. That's very nice of you to come all the way here to tell me."

"Right, sorry. I didn't just come here for that. I came to give you this." He said as he handed her a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"She said that talent like yours shouldn't be wasted, that's a list of catering companies and restaurants that are looking for help."

"Oh wow, thank you. Tell Delia thank you for me."

"You're welcome. Have a great night." He nodded at Owen, waved at me and Whitney and turned back down the driveway.

"Whitney, that's awesome," I almost screamed after she shut the door.

"How is that awesome? I didn't get the job. I went there I made her a frittata, she at it, then told me she wasn't really looking for help cooking. She only wanted wait staff."

"Well yeah, that part sucks but look at the bright side. She knows how talented you are. I'm sure if you called her she would let you use her as a reference."

"I'm sure you're right. I'm probably overthinking it, but it's still a bummer."

"Hey, at least you got some eye candy dropping the note off for you."

"Standing right here." Owen jumped in.

Whitney laughed and kept going, "I know. That was a nice little addition to my night. He's good looking and all, but not really my type. I'm going to head off to bed. You two have a good night."

I turned to Owen, giving him my full attention. "Movie? Popcorn?"

"Movie, yes, popcorn, I don't really care for it."

"Okay, let's go."

We walked into the living room where he plopped down on the couch and I began going through our DVD collection, reading off titles while he shot them all down. After five minutes of this back and forth I just grabbed one we'd watched together a million times already.

After the movie started, I sat on the couch next to him and cuddled up under his arm, I felt my eyes getting heavy when I heard Owen, "Okay little Ms. Snores-a-Lot, time to get you to bed."

"I'm not tired, and I don't snore."

"Right, those sounds were just the demons trying to escape from your throat then?"

"Well, it's not my fault. I'm honestly not tired. More bored than anything." I sat up facing him. "Do something fun to entertain me?"

"So what, I'm a monkey now?" He laughed. "What would you like for me to do for you?"

"I don't know, tell me a joke?"

"I'm not funny." He looked at me,grinning.

"Well I'm not funny either, but I'd tell you a joke if you asked."

"You are funny. You're also smart, beautiful, kind, generous, and loving." I stared at him. Moments like this he makes it so easy to love him. He doesn't just compliment me, he compliments me when I'm least expecting it, so I leaned in and kissed him.

He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me back. My hand slid up to the back of his neck, holding him close to me. I could feel his hand on my back when the kiss broke, but I wasn't done so I kissed his neck. I could hear him breath out when I did that so I continued. I bit his neck softly, then went back to kissing him.

Once the kiss broke again, I went back to his neck, running my fingers through his hair.

"Oh God," I heard him say, "No. No, Annabel. Stop." He lifted me off of him and set me next to him on the couch.

I looked away and felt my face flush hot. I couldn't even bare to look at him, I was so embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I thought you liked it."

He lifted my face to his by my chin. "You think I didn't like that? It was great. It was also a big step."

I didn't know what he meant, so I tried to explain myself. "It wasn't a step, it was a kiss on your neck."

"It was more than that. It was very," he paused, this time he looked like he was blushing, "exciting for me." He looked down at his hands, now covering his lap.  
Oh my. Not what I was expecting him to say. "Owen, that's totally natural."

"I know it's natural, but I don't want you to think I'm pushing you to take things somewhere you're not ready to take them." He sat quiet for a moment. "I don't want you to feel like you're not safe when you're with me."

"Owen, you're not Will. I know that. You would never do something like that to me. I never would have thought you would."

"It's not just that."

"What is it then?"

"I just want you to be sure you're ready. I want it to be special. For both of us."

I kissed him. Closed mouth, but deeply. "It will be. It's going to be wonderful. When we're both ready. I trust you."

I heard the door open and shut. My mom was home now. I nuzzled back into Owen and we finished watching the movie together. Mom and Owen sat down and ate some of my chicken, mom lied and said it was great but Owen, in true Owen fashion said it was a little dry.

I walked him out to his truck when he left where we talked longer about the day, Sophie, sex talks, and I love you-s all in one day. It was long and exhausting, but all in all a very good day.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow. Drive safe." I said to him, leaning through his window kissing his cheek.

"I'll see you in the morning." He began backing out of the driveway, onto the street, and with a wave, he was gone.


End file.
